


shut up and drive

by sleepyscoops



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 96line makes a cameo!, Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Driving, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gaming, Getting Together, Happy Jicheol Day!, M/M, Romantic Fluff, cheol is WHIPPED, gamer!Jihoon, spot the verkwan!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-18 17:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12392799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyscoops/pseuds/sleepyscoops
Summary: Seungcheol is a tired university student in his final year who needs to pass his driving test. His roommate (and crush) Jihoon, a gaming major, proves to be helpful...





	shut up and drive

 

Seungcheol is a nervous wreck. He needs to complete his thesis – which he’d put off for about a fortnight now, and his dateline is in three weeks, but out of four thousand words, he’d only written four hundred. And to add to that, his dad suddenly tells him that he needs to pass his driving test before he graduates, because what is a man without a driving licence, especially when he’s going to enter the workforce soon? Seungcheol’s too tired to argue that Seoul has excellent public transport, better compared to his hometown Daegu, so he lets it slide and agrees with his dad. Of course, life is tough, especially with all of this stress put together, and all Seungcheol wants to do is sleep for the next three years and hope that everything is smooth sailing when he wakes up: a steady job, a driver’s licence, and being in a stable romantic relationship with his roommate Jihoon.

(Okay, so he has a giant crush on his roommate. Nothing wrong with that; but his friend Jeonghan would tell that it’s simply wishful thinking for Seungcheol to hope for a relationship with Jihoon, especially when he’d made zero advances.)

But how do you make that giant leap from being roommates to life partner?

Seungcheol can’t begin to figure it out, so he pushes it aside, though with every passing day, his crush for Jihoon grows bigger. He can’t say the same for the small blond, since he’s unpredictable: sometimes he’s close to Seungcheol, buying him food and clinging to his side; but other times he’s simply cordial, almost detached.

Love is difficult.

Seungcheol is a senior at university, majoring in media studies. He loves writing and reaching out to the masses, staying up-to-date with the current trends, which was the precise reason why he picked the course, but now life seems so overwhelming that he just wants time to stop, cuddle up with Jihoon, and stay like that until he feels better. Only that Jihoon is perverse to skinship, and would flinch at touch from another human; though animals are fine. Jihoon seems to like cats, and Seungcheol sometimes wishes that he’s a cat so that Jihoon can pet him too.

He's been trying to do everything at once – his thesis, studying for his driving test, trying to live a semblance of a human life with an added bonus of secret love for his roommate; so life becomes overwhelming; and Seungcheol finds himself staring at the walls most of the time, daydreaming about the things he’s supposed to do instead of actually doing them.

(Often he imagines how he’d ask Jihoon out, but to some incredible degree of cheesiness, that he can see Jihoon’s fingers curling into balls as he cringes; which discourages Seungcheol from actually asking him out, in fear of rejection – he’d rather be friends than strangers with Jihoon.)

“I’m home.” Seungcheol closes the door behind him, letting out a huge sigh. There’s a driving theory book tucked under his arm – maybe staying in the library trying to look up driving techniques isn’t the best method. His test is in three days, and Seungcheol feels underprepared.

“Yo.” Jihoon’s voice floats from the couch in the living room. As a gaming major, Jihoon seems to spend all of his time playing video games on any types of consoles that has ever been manufactured – the very reason why they have several game consoles arranged next to the television in the living room, including the almost-obsolete first generation PlayStation. Jihoon had always loved games, so Seungcheol finds it smart of him to turn a hobby into a potential career, judging by the laid-back attitude Jihoon has when it comes to his studies.

Sometimes, Seungcheol would join Jihoon in playing video games just to let off some steam – at times, they’d go against each other, both being competitive idiots; but Seungcheol finds a synergy when they team up for RPGs, battling zombies or ghosts or the likes. They pair up well, and of course, this convinces Seungcheol they’re made for each other – complementary, like a perfect fit of a pair of jigsaw puzzles.

Today, Jihoon’s playing GTA 5 again, shooting some bad guys onscreen. It’s his favourite instalment of the series, thanks to the open-ended world to explore, not to mention the diverse characters that he gets to control. He’d already beat the game once, but perfectionist Jihoon is playing it again, trying to achieve perfect scores in all the missions. Jihoon had sat Seungcheol down and explained the magic of the graphic design of his favourite game, but Seungcheol doesn’t remember what the blond had told him, since he was too busy memorising the way Jihoon’s dark brown eyes twinkle when he talks about the things that he loves the most.

As Seungcheol approaches Jihoon, the screen turns a fiery red in a flagrant explosion, ending the mission with a success rate of 100% and a gold medal.

“Nice.” Seungcheol grins, flopping onto the couch next to Jihoon.

“You look tired. And stressed.” The blond puts the game on pause, and tosses his controller aside.

Seungcheol snorts, running his fingers through his dark hair. “There’s so many things to do. You’re the only one who’s calm in the middle of all the chaos I call my world.”

Jihoon simply rolls his eyes – Seungcheol’s being dramatic again. He picks up Seungcheol’s driving theory book, absently flipping through the well-thumbed pages; raising an eyebrow at a doodle of a hamster in one of the pages.

“That’s not working out well.” Seungcheol sighs, pressing his temple – his head is throbbing, and he can hear his heartbeat; too fast to be called normal, and he’s sure that Jihoon’s close proximity is one of the reasons.

“You need a break.” Jihoon declares, which in Jihoon-speak means _you need to play some games_.

“But I need to work on my thesis and this driving thing is stressing me out, then I don’t know what’s gonna happen after I graduate…” Seungcheol whines, but he immediately shuts up when he finds Jihoon’s hands gripping his shoulders.

“Hyung, you _need_ a break.” Jihoon’s tone is serious.

They stay like that for a moment; staring into each other’s eyes, with Jihoon’s hands on Seungcheol’s shoulders. Seungcheol unconsciously closes the gap between them, leaning in closer; inhaling that familiar Jihoon scent – a concoction of coffee and the mint gum that he always chews.

“I need a hug, too.” Seungcheol mumbles, his eyes flitting to Jihoon’s lips. Little rosebuds, highly kissable. All he has to do is lean in a bit more…

“Not from me.” Jihoon scoffs, standing up abruptly. “Wait here.”

Seungcheol inwardly sighs for missed opportunities as the blond starts disconnecting the PlayStation 4 hooked up to the television – saving his game progress first, of course – then connects his old PlayStation 2 in its place.

“PS2 has the best racing games.” Jihoon declares, riffling through his extensive video game collection, which proudly fills up one whole wall of the living room.

“Jihoonie, I need to learn to drive, not play racing games, not that I don’t like playing with you...”

Jihoon turns and tilts his head at Seungcheol, one hand on his hip. “Hyung. Everyone knows the theory. Red means stop, green is go. But are you confident in driving stick?”

Seungcheol blinks for a while, taking it as a sexual innuendo instead (no, he was _not_ looking at Jihoon’s crotch). But he quickly remembers telling Jihoon about how nervous he’d been driving a manual transmission car as taught by his instructor; he’d always forget to press the clutch when changing gears; or forget about the handbrake, all of which are elementary mistakes. Seungcheol’s not a total noob when it comes to driving, it’s just that he has a lot of things in his jumbled mind (like what chicken flavour that Jihoon would like for dinner) to consider the trivial things when driving.

Jihoon’s right, of course, he knows the theory – he’d just passed his written exam a couple of days ago – so he needs to brush up his skills on the road. Seungcheol had tried to schedule last-minute lessons with his instructor out of desperation, but the guy had mysteriously gone on vacation to Mongolia and wouldn’t be back for another month. Seungcheol wanted to ask his friend Mingyu for driving tips, and maybe let him drive his car for a bit, but Mingyu’s a bit too busy hanging out with his new boyfriend Wonwoo to even say hello. So Seungcheol had made his driving theory book his best friend, hoping that the information would somehow be converted into actual skills; but that’s difficult since he’s not getting the hands-on practice he needs.

Seungcheol eyeballs the racing simulator seat that Jihoon’s trying to move into the centre of the living room; and immediately springs to his feet to help him. With Jihoon, who’s a man of few words, he’d learnt to go with the flow – Jihoon speaks volumes through his actions.

“This is new.” Seungcheol says, as they move the piece to the middle of the living room, right in front of the screen.

“Not really. Pulled in a few favours, need it for something.” Jihoon remarks nonchalantly.

Seungcheol dismisses it as _something_ for class; maybe Jihoon’s professor asked him to test out a few racing games. Seungcheol had seen these kinds of simulators before, especially in arcades that he frequented way back in high school.

“Wait for a while.” Jihoon pulls a box over, producing a racing wheel, complete with the three pedals as seen in a manual transmission vehicle. The blond easily connects the whole set-up to the console and picks a game, feeding it into the CD drive.

“I haven’t played racing games with a simulator since high school.” Seungcheol eases himself into the chair, trying to get used to it. The steering wheel is right in front of him as it would be in a car, and the pedals are at his feet, within comfortable reach. It’s the exact setting for a car; though only things that are missing are the mirrors – rear-view and side-view – but it’s not like there’ll be any reversing in fast-pace racing games!

The loading screen pops up on the monitor, welcoming Seungcheol to the game.

Seungcheol goes bug-eyed seeing the game on the screen – it’s known for reckless driving and countless crashes; not the content that Seungcheol needs to pass a driving test! “You want me to learn driving by playing an illegal street racing game?”

A small smile plays on Jihoon’s lips. “It’s all about the skills, not the context. Besides, this game is the most acclaimed racing game ever existed.” The small blond selects a single player game mode for Seungcheol to play, selecting a random street track for him to race against the clock.

Seungcheol glances at Jihoon. “I don’t need to go fast, do I?”

“The faster, the better.” Jihoon smirks, making Seungcheol feel warm all over. The elder looks uncertainly at his roommate, torn between the objective of the game, or driving safely like he’s supposed to in real life.

“Go.” Jihoon nods at the screen, puckering his lips into a little pout; and Seungcheol has to tear his eyes off his (adorably cute) roommate and focus on the flashing screen.

Seungcheol launches into first gear like he’d been taught by his driving instructor. Somehow, this experience is even more nerve-wracking, with Jihoon supervising; and Seungcheol wants nothing but to be perfect in front of him.

“Shift.” Jihoon commands, but Seungcheol immediately loses grip of the stick-shift. The car onscreen is staggering along in first gear, whining to go faster.

Seungcheol grits his teeth and grips the stick-shift, successfully changing into second gear with a relieved sigh. His vehicle, a flashy muscle car compared to the other generic cars in the virtual streets, trundle along the road slowly.

“Man, I didn’t know that you’re so bad at this.” Jihoon snickers, watching a random car, controlled by the game’s AI, pass by Seungcheol. He stops the car completely trying to turn at a sharp corner, letting his foot off the accelerator. He twists the gear into position, and manages to get the car to move as Jihoon stifles a giggle right next to him.

“I’m trying!” Seungcheol retaliates, switching gears, and instantly crashes his car into an oncoming vehicle. It takes a second for his vehicle to spawn, and soon he’s on the road again.

“You’re not even halfway through the course.” Jihoon comments, popping a potato chip into his mouth. Seungcheol drives slowly, on the correct side of the road, abiding by the road rules – even though in the game, there are no rules.

Jihoon’s oddly talkative today, commenting on all the things that Seungcheol does. “You’re driving like a grandpa.” The blond feeds Seungcheol a potato chip, shoving the treat into his mouth.

“Is this barbecue?” Seungcheol tries not to choke on the chip, taken aback by the unexpected gesture.

“Eyes on the road.” Jihoon mutters, with a mouthful of the snack.

The timer on the screen counts up to seven and a half minutes when Seungcheol finally crosses the final checkpoint with a sigh, leaning back into his seat. He’d crashed a couple more times through the course; once into the sidewalk, and another time into a car in front of him that’s driving too slowly. In this rate, Seungcheol is a driving hazard and should be kept off the road for an extended period of time!

The screen blinks with Seungcheol’s timing for that particular track, on top of the empty list – the only record to beat. Jihoon’s eyes shine with competitive fire seeing Seungcheol’s record; licking his lips in heated anticipation.

(A passing thought in Seungcheol’s brain: Jihoon’s lips would taste like barbecue chips.)

“You sure you passed your written test?” Jihoon teases, crumpling up the empty chip packet, dusting his fingers on his shorts.

Seungcheol fiddles with his thumbs, looking down to the floor. “I’m just…kind of nervous.”

“Move aside. My turn.” Jihoon manhandles Seungcheol out of the seat, even though he’s much smaller; and Seungcheol practically weighs about a ton of muscle.

“I thought that I’m supposed to practice my driving?” Seungcheol asks, as Jihoon makes himself comfortable in the seat he’d been occupying earlier.

“See how the master does it.” Jihoon says, replaying the same course – almost immediately charging into third gear within the first ten seconds. He’s drifting around corners at high speed, driving into oncoming traffic, near missing crashes – simply the epitome of reckless driving as advertised by the game’s developers. Seungcheol notices that Jihoon’s techniques are impeccable; switching gears perfectly, his little socked feet alternating between the pedals like a professional.

Jihoon finishes the track in only two minutes, clear of crashes. When his score tops Seungcheol’s, the blond smirks at his roommate, almost challenging him to better his record; knowing how insanely competitive the elder is.

Only that Seungcheol’s a stuttering mess to even acknowledge Jihoon’s challenge, shocked by Jihoon’s driving. The blond doesn’t have his driving licence, yet he owned the circuit like he’d been driving for years.

Ignore the fact that he’d driven like a maniac, but that’s the whole point of the game.

“You topped me, master…I acknowledge your greatness…can you take my driving test for me, please oh please…” Seungcheol bows at Jihoon.

Jihoon simply laughs, vacating the seat. “Hell no. It’s your turn.”

Seungcheol starts over again, this time, taking more care in his driving, changing gears slowly; but never going over twenty-five miles an hour. Jihoon simply watches the monitor, standing nearby, sipping a bottle of cola.

“Why don’t you sit down, Jihoonie?” Seungcheol peeks at Jihoon as he overtakes a car, almost swerving onto the oncoming lane.

“Nah, I like standing up. It gives me more authority.” The blond takes a rough swig of his soda.

“Uh, okay…?” Seungcheol swallows his dry throat as he stops at a junction, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. “Just sit down beside me and we’ll pretend to go on a drive or something.”

Jihoon raises an eyebrow at Seungcheol’s request, but he drags a high stool from their kitchenette and sits right next to the older guy, towering over him.

“If I make it through this round without crashing, will you come on a road trip with me?” Seungcheol asks, glancing at his roommate. It’s a bold idea, coming out of nowhere – even Seungcheol himself is surprised that those words easily rolled out of his mouth.

Jihoon considers the idea – he’d rather stay home and sleep or play video games. Going out is too much of a hassle for him, especially with the flaky autumn weather: all wind and gales every single day, the cold air nibbling at his nose. Seungcheol would keep him warm – wrap an arm around his shoulder; or offer him his own jacket like they do in those dramas, leaving himself freezing cold with lesser layers (but Seungcheol does look better with less layers, Jihoon thinks).

“We’ll see.” Jihoon thinks that Seungcheol will crash anyway, and with the way that he’s driving right now, he’ll probably fail his real driving test. “Only if you’ll acknowledge me as the better driver between the two of us.”

Seungcheol grins widely at Jihoon’s response, and garners all of his confidence. “You’re better than me, Jihoonie, but that’ll change when I get my licence!” The car onscreen spawns once more at the starting point, and Seungcheol quickly shifts into first gear, concentrating on the circuit.

It takes another ten minutes, but Seungcheol finally completes the course with his car fully unscathed. His current score is the worst timing yet, but it comes as a small victory to him; boosting his own confidence that there’s a chance for him to pass the actual test.

“See? No crashes.” Seungcheol says smugly, grinning at the blond sitting next to him.

“Good for you, then.” Jihoon doesn’t point out that Seungcheol’s been driving in second gear throughout the track. He steals a quick glance at the clock – it’s been almost an hour of Seungcheol trying to learn to drive with his (borrowed) race simulator.  “Hey, I gotta go to work. Knock yourself out.”

Jihoon works part-time at the game store located down the street, with really odd shifts; either the first shift or the last one. Today it’s the latter, and Seungcheol knows that Jihoon would be back late, so he makes a mental note to leave the blond some dinner as he always does, since Jihoon can’t be trusted to feed himself on schedule.

Jihoon pulls on his oversized jacket (so huge, that even Seungcheol can fit in it) and leaves immediately, mumbling a goodbye.

The little apartment feels lonely without Jihoon around, but Seungcheol turns back to the screen with determined fire. Today, he’s a man with a mission – he’s going to pass his driving test.

* * *

The next few days, Seungcheol’s practically glued to the racing simulator, trying to perfect his skills. He’s hogging the game console, and Jihoon’s not particularly happy about that since he wants to complete his pursuit of gold medals in GTA 5, but for the sake of Seungcheol’s future, he lets it slide. The blond even feeds Seungcheol some food when he’s too busy practicing, but most of the time, he simply sits there and supervises Seungcheol with an amused expression, acting like an experienced instructor. Maybe there is hope for Seungcheol to pass his driving test, Jihoon thinks.

Mingyu lets Seungcheol try driving his car once, but he forgets about the mirrors and almost crashes into a wall when reversing. When Seungcheol recounts this story to Jihoon over dinner, the blond laughs heartily like it’s the funniest thing on earth. Seungcheol grins, glad that he’d made Jihoon chuckle – such a precious laugh; and the way his eyes crinkle into little half-moons make him look even adorable. After that incident, Mingyu’s wary to let Seungcheol practice on his second-hand car that he’d worked hard to pay for, but Seungcheol manages to convince him to try a few more times, but he’s prone to a few near misses – running over someone’s trashcan, almost hitting a neighbour’s dog, and numerous times of killing the engine in the middle of the road just because he changes gears too quickly and forgetting about the clutch.

Seungcheol’s getting better at driving on Jihoon’s race simulator, but the same can’t be said for him when it comes to the real situation. At this rate, Jihoon thinks that the odds of Seungcheol passing his driving test is 50% - so the odds of them going on a road trip together could be even lower. Not that Jihoon’s anticipating anything, though it could be something to look forward to; something off-routine from his mundane daily life.

Today is the day of Seungcheol’s test, and he hadn’t slept well, thinking of all the possible things that might go wrong. He lies in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to his roommate’s rhythmic breathing, with a million thoughts in his head; finally falling into a fitful sleep at the crack of dawn, before his alarm wakes him up for the day.

Seungcheol forces himself up from bed, dragging his feet as he leaves the room, noticing Jihoon’s empty bed. The blond is already awake, nursing a cup of coffee at the kitchen counter. Jihoon nods at his roommate in acknowledgement; scrutinizing the dark circles under the elder’s eyes, his messy bedhead (which kind of appears sexy at times), down to the ratty sweatpants he wears to sleep.

“You’re up early.” Seungcheol says, stretching, and his shirt rides up his toned belly, flashing a bit of skin, grabbing Jihoon’s attention.

The blond simply hums, sipping his coffee; trying to avert his eyes. “Your test is today.”

“I know. I’m nervous.” Seungcheol says, walking over to the refrigerator in search for breakfast.

Jihoon’s eyes follow his roommate’s movements.  “You’ll do well, I’m sure.”

Seungcheol pulls out a carton of milk out of the fridge, shutting the door with his hip. “Thanks. Do you have an early shift today?” He pours himself a glass of milk, then swigs the cold drink.

“Nope.”

Seungcheol puts his glass down, revealing a milk moustache on his upper lip. Jihoon absolutely loves sleep – if he’s not playing video games, he’d either be at work, or fast asleep on his bed, clutching a stuffed white puppy close to his chest.

“So…why are you up so early?” Seungcheol asks again.

“I’m coming with you to your driving test.” Jihoon states bluntly as if it’s the most obvious thing on the entire planet. His voice is level, and his expression unreadable. He eyeballs Seungcheol’s milk moustache, and the elder quickly wipes it off with the back of his hand.

“You don’t have to, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol smiles, thinking that Jihoon’s simply being nice – if it doesn’t benefit him, Jihoon would never give a flying damn about it.

“I want to. I don’t have anything else to do today.” Jihoon finishes his coffee in one shot.

“You could play GTA.” Seungcheol suggests after a heartbeat.

“My optometrist told me to lessen the strain on my eyes by having lesser gaming time. So I’m coming with you.”

Seungcheol imagines Jihoon with glasses – those round Harry Potter-esque glasses that are coming back in style – and thinks how much more adorable that Jihoon would be; not that he’s not already cute enough now.

“I could do with the support. Thanks, Jihoonie.”

Jihoon simply shrugs, like it’s no big deal; only that it _is_ a big deal, especially for Seungcheol – now he feels the pressure to do well, since he really doesn’t want to repeat this test, and Jihoon would be watching, so he’d have to be perfect, perfect. If he passes this test, he’d be another step closer to get his permanent driving licence after he passes the on-road driving exam.

And maybe he’d get to go onto that road trip with Jihoon that he’d promised, though he’s not sure where they should go. Korea’s a big country to explore, anyway, so they aren’t limited of choices.

That little thought motivates him even more; to obtain his driving licence as soon as possible. A smile forms on his handsome face, which doesn’t disappear as he prepares for the day, picking out his favourite shirt – a light blue shirt that he deems lucky, since he remembers wearing it on the day that he met Jihoon.

Jihoon listens to all of Seungcheol’s familiar morning sounds as he goes for a quick round of football on his Xbox. The blond is already dressed for the day, with an oversized blue sweater pulled over jeans. Between them, Seungcheol takes more care in keeping up his appearances, though he has very questionable fashion choices. For Jihoon, it’s always comfort over anything else, which is the main reason why his closet is full of oversized clothing (there may be one or five of Seungcheol’s hoodies stashed in there too, somewhere).

Two hours later, Jihoon finds himself sitting next to an extremely fidgety Seungcheol in a stuffy waiting room filled with equally stressed youngsters and their parents. He wishes he’d brought his Nintendo so that he can at least be distracted from all the nervous vibes, because it’s also affecting him – what if Seungcheol fails his driving test?

Seungcheol himself is tapping his foot at about a hundred and fifty beats per minute, possibly trying to match his erratic heartbeat. Every now and then, he squirms in his seat; his knees accidentally brushing against Jihoon’s as he adjusts himself on the hard plastic seats. Jihoon doesn’t know how to calm Seungcheol down, so he simply crosses his arms across his chest and chews on some gum.

“Do you need to pee or something?” The blond sounds slightly irritated, mainly because he’s bored out of his skull, and there’s nothing else worth watching in the dreary waiting room except for Seungcheol.

Seungcheol, starry-eyed, nervous Seungcheol who puts sense into his life. Jihoon steals a glance at the elder from the corner of his eyes, and man, he’s practically having a nervous breakdown. Jihoon feels like reaching out and pull him into a warm hug, just to ease his nerves, but he’s Jihoon and he doesn’t give out hugs. At least, not in public areas.

“No. Sorry.” Seungcheol stops for a second, and Jihoon sighs with relief.

Two seconds later, Seungcheol’s jiggling his leg like mad again, and it’s slightly getting on Jihoon’s nerves. So he grabs Seungcheol’s thigh with both of his hands and grips it, hard, so that it doesn’t move anymore.

“Jihoonie…” A blush creeps onto Seungcheol’s cheeks.

Jihoon simply stares at him with those laser brown eyes of his, and Seungcheol thinks that he’ll melt right there and then, under the intensity of Jihoon’s gaze.

“Choi Seungcheol.” A test officer, uniformed and old and bespectacled, calls out his name, indicating that it’s already his turn to sit for the on-course test.

“Oh god, no. It’s already my turn.” Seungcheol starts to panic, but Jihoon clutches harder onto his thigh that he freezes at the touch.

“Hyung. You can do it. I didn’t get out of bed this early for you to fail.” Jihoon says in a low voice.

Seungcheol can feel the heat from Jihoon’s fingers on his thigh, pressing through the fabric of his jeans. He swallows, but his throat is dry. “Remember when I told you that I’ll take you on a road trip?” He manages to croak out.

Jihoon presses his lips into a thin, straight line – he can’t believe that Seungcheol remembers that promise. Truthfully, he’d rather cuddle up on the couch with Seungcheol rather than gallivanting around the country, burning fuel (it sounds like fun, thanks to movies’ romanticism of road trips, but it really does seem like a lot of planning beforehand). He squeezes Seungcheol’s thigh even harder in response, and the elder lets out an ill-timed moan.

“Please?” Seungcheol juts out his lower lip into a pout, the way he always does when he wants something. His puppy dog eyes are pleading for sympathy, sparkling with sadness – and are those tears in his eyes?

“That’s not fair.” Jihoon leans back, throwing his hands up.

“What?” In a blink, Seungcheol’s expression turns neutral, feigning innocence.

“You know I can’t resist that face.” The tiny frown between his eyebrows contradicts with what he’s saying. Jihoon focuses hard on Seungcheol’s nose instead, knowing that he’d be sucked into the vortex called Seungcheol’s eyes, but his eyes easily flit down to Seungcheol’s distracting mouth…

The elder pouts some more, as Jihoon resists the urge to reach out and nibble on his lower lip in what seems to be an X-rated scene forming in his dirty little mind.

“…fine. I’ll go with you on your bloody road trip.” Jihoon finally gives in, defeated, looking down at the ugly tiles covering the floor. There’s no way that he can resist Seungcheol – eventually he’d give in anyway, after putting up a front.

“Yay!” Seungcheol pulls Jihoon into a tight hug, tucking his chin comfortably on the top of Jihoon’s head. “I won’t let you down.”

“Choi. Seung. Cheol.” The officer-in-charge hisses, emphasising each syllable of Seungcheol’s full name. Seungcheol immediately lets Jihoon out of his embrace, now encouraged by their little promise, even though Jihoon may have been coerced into it by his devilishly handsome looks.

“Just go pass your damn test.” The small blond grabs Seungcheol by the wrist and practically shoves him over to the waiting officer.

“Fingers crossed, Jihoonie!” Seungcheol grins, following the officer outside to the testing circuit.

Jihoon’s eyes trail Seungcheol’s backside as he leaves the room, silently wishing him luck. He wonders why he hasn’t jumped the guy in his sleep – he’s a fine physical specimen, really. It’s most probably because it wouldn’t be socially acceptable – humans have so many rules in relationships. Sure, they’re just roommates, nothing more.

Should they become more than that? Jihoon’s not too sure, either.

Seungcheol’s not just handsome, but he’s also funny (sometimes) and he takes care of Jihoon even though he doesn’t have to. Soon, he’s going to graduate from university and move on with his life, but Jihoon doesn’t want that to happen. He’s clinging onto these final moments before Seungcheol announces that he’s going to move away, because he’d gotten used to the elder being around, singing power ballads in the shower, or his soft rhythmic snores when he’s off to dreamland at night.

Jihoon won’t openly admit it, but Choi Seungcheol is _something else_. He’d find it difficult to warm up to most people (apart from Wonwoo, his co-worker at the game store, his only other two friends, Soonyoung and Junhui, are the most annoyingly persistent people on the planet, and he wonders how he puts up with the both of them); but he’d found it easy to tolerate Seungcheol since the day he met him, a few years back as a freshman when he’d been looking for a place to stay off-campus, since it was the cheaper option. Seungcheol accepted him into the apartment without any qualms, and they’d been living together ever since. Jihoon can’t put his finger on what that _something_ Seungcheol has that sets him apart from other people, but he feels safer around him. Warm, happy, familiar and secure, just like home.

Anyway, Jihoon’s not sure if Seungcheol does like _like_ him, which he thinks is almost impossible. Who would like him, anyway, being a social recluse who does nothing but play too many video games and drinks too much cola?

Jihoon shakes the thoughts out of his head and goes over to the bay windows, where he’s presented with a view of the whole test circuit. Seungcheol’s being led into test car number 17, and Jihoon hopes that Seungcheol has calmed down enough before he starts his test.

It’s a mild day, but Seungcheol is already sweating bullets in test car number 17.

“You can start whenever you’re ready.” The automated test system says robotically from the speakers.

Seungcheol takes a deep breath and squeezes his eyes shut, trying to calm himself down. He visualises being in Mingyu’s car once again, the younger giving him a quick run-through of the basics.

Seatbelt, check. Mirrors, check. Start the engine, then it’s all systems go.

The echoes of Mingyu’s voice quickly dissipates, replaced by Jihoon’s commanding tone.

Seungcheol grips the steering wheel hard, listening to all the instructions by the computerised system, and does them accordingly, methodically. He’s like a textbook driver, doing one step after the other, slowly and carefully.

_“You drive like a grandpa, but hey, as long as it’s safe, I guess.”_

Other people would’ve been offended by Jihoon’s words, but Seungcheol takes it positively, making sure to be safe at all times, staying between the lines of the course. Parallel parking scares him a little, but Seungcheol does it step-by-step, remembering the training from his exiled instructor, who’s probably living with Mongolian nomads at this point. But Jihoon’s amused little face doesn’t leave his mind, pushing Seungcheol to give his all in the on-course test. As he navigates the closed track, he focuses his mind on passing, because he’s not going to let Jihoon down – the blond had woken up early just to cheer him on.

“Congratulations, you’ve passed the test.” The robotic voice chimes out once he finishes the course, stopping the car at his starting point. “You may now leave the vehicle.”

“YAWAWOO!” Seungcheol celebrates, bouncing in his seat, forgetting that the car is still in first gear; and the vehicle slowly rolls forward, making the waiting officer panic.

Seungcheol quickly slams his foot on the brake when he notices what’s happening, and the examining officer looks like he’s going to have a heart attack. Seungcheol shuts the engine down, and hops out of the vehicle to meet the stressed-out officer holding a clipboard and a pained expression on his face.

Jihoon’s waiting nearby, a proud little smile playing on his lips. Typical Seungcheol, to forget the little details.

“If anything had happened just now, I could have failed you.” The officer says, clutching his heart dramatically. “But you’ve passed. Congratulations.” He hands Seungcheol his assessment sheet, already stamped with a huge green ‘PASS’ at the top of the page. It’s like getting a gold star from your teacher in elementary school, and Seungcheol bows and thanks the officer profusely after that little near miss at the end of the test.

“You’ll be taking your on-road driving exam today?” The officer adjusts his thick glasses, peering at Seungcheol.

“Can I?”

The elderly man sighs. “Honestly son, I’d rather not see you here again. Just pass the whole thing and be done with it.”

“Then I’ll do it!” Seungcheol grins at the older man with fiery determination.

The officer wipes his brow and consults his clipboard. “It’s your lucky day. There’s an empty slot at 2 pm, so I’ll book you in.”

Seungcheol quickly checks his watch – it’s only fifteen minutes until noon. “No problem, sir, I’ll be there!” He gives a salute as the officer hurries back into the waiting room to call the next candidate.

Jihoon’s been waiting for a few minutes by the side, fiddling with the hem of his T-shirt, and Seungcheol turns to him with the widest smile he can muster. “Jihoonie! I passed!” Seungcheol bounds over to the waiting blond, enveloping him into a tight hug.

“Yeah, yeah. Congrats, hyung.” Jihoon pats Seungcheol’s back, barely returning the hug, though he quite likes it. “Everyone could hear you yelling in the car just now.”

“I’ll be doing my on-road exam later at 2!” Seungcheol says excitedly, releasing Jihoon from his embrace, practically bouncing on his feet. Adrenaline is rushing through his veins; he’s high from passing his first test. Just one more obstacle stands between him and his permanent driving licence – a little document that’ll allow him to take Jihoon on that road trip he’d been planning in his head. It’s an unwritten challenge – if he gets his licence, Jihoon will come with him. Seungcheol’s determined to win it, burning with competitive fire. He can’t wait to tackle the road test, and whatever obstacle lies in his way; he knows that he’ll conquer it. The boost of confidence is added with Jihoon’s little smile, reassuring Seungcheol that everything will be alright eventually.  

Jihoon hums. “So can we get lunch? I’m hungry.”

“Right, let’s go. I feel like eating kimbap.” Seungcheol casually slings an arm over Jihoon’s shoulders.

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Jihoon says with a smile, and the two of them leave the testing centre.

Lunch is a domestic affair, where Jihoon eats three bowls of rice, and Seungcheol keeps stealing Jihoon’s kimbap. They bicker over PC gaming and game consoles – with Jihoon, having more expertise, winning in the end – and Seungcheol almost forgets that he has a driving test scheduled for 2 o’clock, since he’s having such a good time with Jihoon. The blond has to remind him, of course, though Seungcheol feels like skipping the test to take Jihoon home for a nice round of the latest version of FIFA.

Soon, they’re back at the testing centre, in the waiting room with the hard plastic chairs and the ugly tiles. There’s no one else inside, since it’s probably still lunch hour for the testing centre. The empty room before them makes it even more daunting for Seungcheol, as the weight of realisation of the driving test that’s looming ahead.

Sure, he’d just passed the circuit test, but those were basics. Even Jihoon can sit for that test blindfolded. But the road test opens more room for error, from an unknown examiner to other road users as well; and drivers in Seoul are heartless and that scares Seungcheol even more – if he fails this test, he’d have to retake it in three days, and within that period, Jihoon would probably either tease him about his failure (which his poor heart can’t take); or look at him with disappointment every morning when he drinks his bitter coffee.

(The Disappointed Jihoon Look is lethal; and Seungcheol has never been a direct recipient of it, but he’s seen Jihoon’s friends Soonyoung and Junhui cower because of it.)

Seungcheol grips his water bottle, drinking to the last drop. He’d been consuming so much water since lunchtime to ease his nervousness; that he made a bet with Jihoon that he wouldn’t pee until he finishes his driving test, which can take up to twenty minutes to complete.

The wager? Jihoon doesn’t bring any of his portable game consoles during their road trip.

“What makes you think you won’t pee soon? You’ve drunk about three bottles of water through lunch until now.” Jihoon says incredulously.

Seungcheol wipes his brow. “I’m sweating like mad, Jihoonie. I’m losing more fluids than more than I’m consuming.”

“Watch me bring my Gameboy on our roadtrip, if it even happens.” Jihoon grins, not buying Seungcheol’s excuse. “Do you want more water?” The blond hands another bottle of water that he’d bought at the convenience store right after lunch on a quick snack run before they’d reached the testing centre – he’s going to be here for the whole day; and he’d rather be well fed, even though he had a full lunch, paid by Seungcheol.

The elder takes the bottle from Jihoon, twists the cap open, and drinks about half the bottle in one shot. Jihoon thinks that Seungcheol can become the ambassador of some sports drink or something; imagining him drinking in slow motion; rivulets of sweat dripping down his handsome face. Only that Seungcheol’s not as graceful in real life, and spills some water onto the front of his sweat-soaked shirt.

The blond simply watches Seungcheol, thinking how did he even come to like him in the first place. Like that Ed Sheeran song – _people fall in love in mysterious ways_.

“I’m not nervous. I’m gonna win the bet, and you’re coming with me on my roadtrip.” Seungcheol presses his lips into a half-hearted smile, sounding almost uncertain; though his words are full of confidence.   

Jihoon can detect the nervousness in Seungcheol’s voice and doesn’t lose the opportunity to tease the elder. He’s losing confidence, what’s better than to kick a man’s ego by mocking him?

“Elephants in your gut?”

“N-no.”

“It’s probably because you stole my kimbap earlier.”

“They were yummy.”

The both of them stay silent for a while, only the only sound coming from the fan on the ceiling that’s spinning lazily, circulating hot air inside the small room.

“I’m gonna fail this thing.” Seungcheol says out of nowhere, clenching his hands.

“If you can pass the circuit, then you can pass the road test.” Jihoon tries to sound reassuring, but he comes off as sarcastic instead.

“But now there’ll be an examiner sitting next to me!” Seungcheol whispers loudly.

“Come on, you’ve practiced enough on the simulator. You’ll be fine.” Jihoon says, popping a piece of mint into his mouth. “I’ll have to return the simulator chair soon, though. So if you fail this you can’t practice in the apartment anymore.”

Seungcheol stands up abruptly and starts pacing around the room. There’s still another half an hour before his allocated test time; and just like before, there’s nothing to distract his thoughts. Again, negative thoughts flood his mind – the pressure of passing, being perfect in front of Jihoon, and the prospect of his future when he graduates. His mind is already going at a thousand miles per hour; thoughts crashing into each other that he’s quickly developing a headache.

Jihoon watches Seungcheol prowl around the room, absently poking the notices pinned onto the corkboard on one wall. He can’t stand the elder being restless, so he gets up and goes over to the dark-haired man. 

“Why are you so nervous?” Jihoon pokes Seungcheol’s ribs.

“Hug?” The elder opens up his arms, and Jihoon easily fits into his embrace.

“I’m gonna sound like a broken record if I tell you that it’s all going to be fine.” Jihoon says.

“Say it again.” Seungcheol mumbles into Jihoon’s hair, inhaling its sweet scent. “It makes me feel better.”

“…are you smelling my hair?”

“It smells nice.”

“Hyung, we use the same shampoo.” The result of sharing one bathroom, and Jihoon’s frugality.

“It’s so fluffy, though.” Seungcheol nuzzles his nose further into Jihoon’s soft blond hair.

Jihoon manages to struggle out of Seungcheol’s arms; a blush creeping up his slender neck. “Go sit down.”

Seungcheol shuffles back to the hard plastic seats when two young men enter the waiting room.

“Hello!” The chubby-cheeked blond smiles at them. His companion looks like a foreigner, with American features; though he saying something rapidly in Korean. Seungcheol smile back at them, nodding, assuming that one of them will be taking the road test soon, too. The young pair take a seat on the other side of the room and start giggling among themselves.

_Young love,_ Seungcheol sighs, _I wonder when that’ll happen to me…_

He glances at Jihoon, who’s sitting right next to him. The blond is fixated on some crack on the ceiling, his little lips upturned into a curious little pout. He wants to reach out and hold Jihoon’s hand and caress it, and kiss his fingers one by one…

Jihoon suddenly turns to look at him. “I know that look.”

Seungcheol’s surprised; not expecting to get caught looking at his crush. Heat enters his cheeks, and he can hear his blood pulsing through his veins, a loud, thrumming beat. From the reflection in the windows, Seungcheol thinks he looks constipated, though his bowel movements are fine. Subconsciously he holds in his breath as Jihoon inches closer, who’s inspecting his facial expression, which he tries to keep as neutral as possible.

“You’re going to hyperventilate.” The blond gently places his hands on Seungcheol’s shoulders, turning him slightly so that they face each other. “Close your eyes. Take deep breaths.”

Seungcheol complies, and deeply inhales the stale air of the waiting room, letting the oxygen fill in his lungs.

“Now exhale.” It’s easy to follow Jihoon’s instructions, and Seungcheol exhales with a big whoosh.

Jihoon repeats the breathing exercise with Seungcheol a few more times, until he knows that he elder has considerably calmed down.

“Thanks, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol finally opens his eyes, smiling fondly at the blond. “You know me too well.”

“Soonyoung taught me some breathing exercises so that I won’t be grumpy all the time.” Jihoon mutters, turning away.

“Gwumpy Jihoonie.” Seungcheol ruffles Jihoon’s hair affectionately, and the younger ducks away.

“Don’t.” There’s a playful smile on Jihoon’s face, trying to evade Seungcheol, who’s trying to capture him with another hug.

“Choi Seungcheol.” The bespectacled officer from the morning session appears at the entrance, with his ever-present clipboard tucked under his arm. “On-road test?”

“That’s me.” Seungcheol quickly leaps to his feet, smiling at the officer.

“Please follow me.” The officer says, and Seungcheol nods, ready for his final test.

“Go and hit a trash can.” Jihoon teases, smacking Seungcheol’s backside.  

“I won’t.” Seungcheol barely has time to react, as he hurries to catch up with the test officer. “Sir? Can Jihoonie come along?”

The test officer sighs, old and beaten; pressing his fingers against his temple. “Son, just go and sit for your test. Your _friend_ will still be here until you finish.”

“Fine.” Seungcheol waves at Jihoon, before he’s being whisked away to a waiting vehicle. Seungcheol does a show of inspecting the test car, making sure that the tyres are all right, before he enters the car, sitting at the driver’s seat. Much to his surprise, the officer settles into the passenger seat right next to him, armed with his ubiquitous clipboard.

“I’m your examiner.” The officer says nonchalantly, as Seungcheol’s jaw drops. “My name is Mr Han.”

“Is the test centre understaffed or something?”

“I’m qualified, if you have doubts.” Mr Han straps his seatbelt on, neatly balancing his clipboard on his knees. “And I won’t be letting you pass easily. I’ve failed about five people this week, so you’d better do well because I’d rather not see you around anymore with your little blond companion. You kids have better places to be than hanging around here at the test centre.”

Seungcheol doesn’t know what to make of Mr Han’s short monologue – suddenly his throat is dry again. His fingers start to tremble as he reaches out to grip the steering wheel in front of him.

“You may start, Mr Choi – and a little tip?”

“Hmm?” Seungcheol turns to Mr Han.

“Your seatbelt.”

Seungcheol quickly tugs his seatbelt on, taking a few attempts to slot it in. He toggles the gearstick, making sure that it’s in neutral, then starts the engine, which whirs alive.

If Mr Han wants him to be model driver; then he’d do it. Seungcheol’s going to get his driving licence today, and the surly officer isn’t going to stop him from it, even though his intimidating presence is messing with Seungcheol’s nerves. Besides, who would be that grumpy after lunch? Maybe Mr Han needed to learn Jihoon’s breathing exercises, too.

Seungcheol fiddles with the air-conditioning, setting it down to the lowest temperature possible, so that maybe Mr Han can chill a little.

Summoning all his experience from Jihoon’s (borrowed) racing simulator and the on-course test earlier, Seungcheol takes a deep breath, shifts into first gear, and slowly drives away from the testing centre.

Jihoon spends forty bored minutes in the waiting room, and he finishes all of his snack while he scrolls through his phone. The on-road test requires test candidates to drive along a route of 5 kilometres out on the open road, evaluating both driving skills as well as road safety. Jihoon knows for a fact that Seungcheol can run five kilometres in forty minutes, so shouldn’t he be able to complete a driving test in a much shorter period?

More people enter the waiting room for their test, and Jihoon’s not a particularly sociable person, so he keeps to himself. Out of boredom, he downloads a new game into his phone, something about crushing candy, and soon makes his way up the levels easily; being a seasoned gamer. He’s too focused on his game to notice Seungcheol returning with a huge grin.

“Jihoonie! I passed!” The elder rushes over to him, pulling him to his feet.

Jihoon breaks out into a smile, and pats Seungcheol’s shoulder; but Seungcheol immediately bundles him into a bear hug.

“There was a huge traffic jam, that’s why it took a while. But I passed!”

“Congrats, hyung.” Jihoon manages to say, almost suffocating from Seungcheol’s hug.

Mr Han, the testing officer, smiles at them, before he calls out the next candidate’s name.

Now Seungcheol needs to take his photo for his licence, so he drags Jihoon over to the administration offices. There are tons of forms to fill out, so Jihoon watches Seungcheol write all the required details in his scrawly handwriting.

Once the clerk is satisfied with the forms Seungcheol’s filled out, she directs him to a different room to have his photo taken for his licence. Jihoon follows him, of course, looking around curiously at his surroundings.

The photographer tells Seungcheol to sit on the stool in front of a white background, then sets up his equipment for a quick photo session.

“Wait, how do I look?” Seungcheol turns to Jihoon with an excited smile on his face.

Seungcheol’s hair is a mess; his lucky blue shirt’s all crumpled up, but at least he doesn’t look as sweaty as he did before, thanks to the cool air-conditioning of the office – he looks like he’d been dragged through a desert. But with his gummy smile, he looks like he’s ready to walk down a red carpet and win Sexiest Smile of the Year.

Jihoon reaches up to pat Seungcheol’s unruly hair, making it more presentable. Seungcheol smiles at the small gesture, then goes to sit down in front of the camera.

“Am I supposed to smile, or should I look serious?” Seungcheol ponders out loud.

“Just be comfortable. No fancy poses, though.” The photographer mutters, already poised with his camera – he just wants to get the job done.

“I think I’d look more professional if I look serious.” Seungcheol straightens himself up in the seat, adopting a straight face.

“Yeah, sure.” Either way, Jihoon doesn’t mind; nodding as he stands right beside the photographer.  

“Alright. 1,2…”

Jihoon makes a funny face right before the shutter snaps, and Seungcheol bursts out laughing.

“Alright, we’ll process the photo – your license should be ready in fifteen minutes.” The photographer goes over to a nearby computer to crop Seungcheol’s photograph.

“Wait – that’s not fair, he made a funny face just now, I wasn’t really ready!”

The photographer raises an eyebrow at Seungcheol, not believing him; and Jihoon shrugs in innocence, as if nothing had happened. Seungcheol can only facepalm, wondering how his face would look like in his newly obtained licence; while Jihoon tries his best to hide his laughter behind his poker face

Twenty minutes later, Seungcheol and Jihoon finally emerge from the testing centre, after spending all day there. Seungcheol’s staring at his newly-issued driver’s licence, valid for the next seven years. Next to him, Jihoon’s giggling like mad when he glimpses the photo on Seungcheol’s licence – it’s exactly like how the moment had transpired earlier; though he didn’t expect Seungcheol to react at the moment the camera shutter when off: where exactly had Seungcheol been looking?

Another seven years with a licence that has his derp face on it – while Seungcheol’s proud that he’d gotten the document, the photo on the card is just…disappointing. His eyes are half-closed, his head thrown back; while his lips are slightly parted in a prelude of a gut-busting laugh. He looks like he’s about to sneeze – does he have to make that weird face everytime he presents his driving licence so that people know that it’s the same person?

Seungcheol thinks it’s not a flattering look; while Jihoon thinks it’s endearing.

“Can I use that as a meme?” Jihoon asks, clinging closely to the elder’s side.

“No!” Seungcheol quickly stuffs his licence into his wallet before Jihoon can whip his phone out to snap a photo. His ears turn red in embarrassment.

“Hyung, you care too much about your image.”

“No, I don’t – wait, someone’s calling me.” It’s an unknown number, but Seungcheol still picks up the call.

“How’d you get my number?” Seungcheol asks the caller, and Jihoon raises an eyebrow. “Alright, I’ll put you on speakerphone, mind you, we’re in the middle of the street – “

“Jihoon, where are you?” It’s Soonyoung, yelling a little too loudly for the whole street to hear. “Junhui and I have been looking for you all day – “

Jihoon rolls his eyes, knowing that’s an exaggeration, since he’d gotten zero texts from his friend. “My phone died. Sorry, Soonyoung.”

“Well, we all know that you’re practically married to Seungcheol-hyung, but you can’t forget about your friends, you know?” Soonyoung says; and Jihoon blushes profusely. Seungcheol seems unfazed by Soonyoung’s words; he’s even encouraged, and a dopey grin appears on his face.

“Jihoon’s been with me at the driver’s licence exam office all day; I’ve just gotten my driver’s licence.” Seungcheol shouts, matching Soonyoung’s loud volume for the whole street to hear.

“Oh, then congrats, hyung! Then you guys can go on that honeymoon, right?” You could practically hear Soonyoung smiling over the line; his tone jovial and innocent.  

“Soonyoung. I’ll call you soon, okay?” Jihoon grits into the speaker, snatching Seungcheol’s phone away.

“Wait, are you giving me a nickname? So my nickname is now Soon?”

Jihoon promptly ends the call and hands the device back to Seungcheol, feeling hot all over. Sometimes, Soonyoung’s loose lips are just unstoppable. Sure, maybe Jihoon had spoken highly of Seungcheol once (too many times), and maybe Soonyoung had seen them together around campus, but that doesn’t mean that they’re in an established relationship! Soonyoung must’ve watched too many movies, again, to come to that conclusion. Being roommates is being in a domestic relationship; it’s even easier if you get along. Even better, Seungcheol and Jihoon had clicked since day one, despite their differences, but they’d found more similarities as the years passed.

“Dinner?” Seungcheol checks the clock on his phone. It’s painfully close to dinnertime, and the late afternoon sun paints orange streaks in the blue sky.

Jihoon looks at the elder and grins. “Chicken, my treat.”

* * *

For the next two weeks, Seungcheol does nothing but work on his thesis, while Jihoon does what he does best – playing video games. He manages to beat GTA5 and starts on Overwatch, making Seungcheol take short breaks in between staring at his laptop, waiting for a word vomit. Seungcheol’s barely human throughout those two weeks, practically a walking zombie fuelled by caffeine, barely leaving the apartment at all. But Jihoon takes care of Seungcheol just how the elder would normally do, feeding him dinner, doing most of the chores, and occasionally giving him hugs when he looks like he really needs it, which is at least about three times a day. Once, Soonyoung comes over for a visit, and walks in on them having a cuddle session on the couch, and he gives them a knowing look, promptly leaving to give them some privacy.

Jihoon treasures Seungcheol’s presence in what he deems are their last moments together. Ahead are uncertain days, and it makes Jihoon anxious – he’s not sure if he can last another year in university without Seungcheol. He doesn’t want to think of the future just yet, so he lives in the present, enjoying the elder’s company even though he barely says anything coherent; too immersed on his work.

The day Seungcheol submits his thesis, Jihoon’s by his side, and he rejoices to the world that his nightmare is finally over. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and a blond-haired angel is by his side. Seungcheol is finally free from the reins of an academic institution, pending for the acceptance of his thesis; followed by his graduation.

Nothing else can describe joy better other than completing something that you’ve put your heart and soul in. Now he has the world before him to explore before he joins the workforce, and the elaborate plan he’d built in his head is ready to be carried out. Seungcheol’s looking forward to spending quality time with Jihoon, since he knew that he’d barely given him a second glance in the past two weeks.

But the blond angel standing next to him, who’d made him feel remotely human throughout the completion of his thesis hell looks sad, almost like he’s lost something.

“Hey, Jihoonie, what’s up?” It’s late afternoon, after finals week, so the university campus is mostly deserted. They’re near the quad, breeze rustling between the trees; offering a picturesque view of the campus buildlings around them – perfect cinematography, like they’re in a drama or movie.

Jihoon simply shakes his head – he’d rather bottle up his emotions than share it with the world. He takes a deep breath, deciding to let his heart out – it wouldn’t be worth it, keeping secrets from Seungcheol.  “You’re going to graduate, so I might have to look for a new place soon.” Jihoon still has one more year before he completes his studies; and he’d always assumed that Seungcheol would move out once he graduates.

“Hey, my convocation won’t be until next year; I’ll still be around!” Seungcheol wraps an arm around Jihoon’s shoulder. “Obviously, you’re invited, by the way. Can you imagine me wearing those square hats? They’ve always looked ridiculous to me.” He laughs, trying to lighten the mood.

Jihoon keeps his eyes to the ground, barely listening to the elder.

“Jihoonie. I’m not going to kick you out from our apartment. I’m gonna find a job somewhere here in town, and you’re welcome to stay for as long as you’d like. I’d love it if you do.” Seungcheol says in a gentle tone. “And remember that road trip I promised you?”

Jihoon sighs inwardly, remembering Seungcheol’s promise. His heart skips a beat, feeling touched that Seungcheol remembers his own promise – despite Jihoon’s initial reluctance to the plan, the blond had been secretly hoping for the elder to remember about the road trip so that there’s something to look forward to – their own personal swan song before Seungcheol spreads his wings to newer opportunities. 

“Are we still going?” There’s hope in his tiny voice, knowing that the elder wouldn’t break a promise.

“You bet. This weekend. Pack your bags, because we’ll be gone all summer!”

“Are we going around the whole country?” Jihoon asks, to which Seungcheol nods enthusiastically.

Six weeks of driving around the country with Seungcheol; even with his dubious driving skills and non-existent car. It’s almost a dream come true for Seungcheol; and he wouldn’t mind not bringing any portable game consoles – remembering the bet that he’d lost – since he wouldn’t want to miss a moment with Seungcheol.

“Mingyu’s agreed to lend me his car. And guess where’s our first stop.”

Jihoon shrugs, as Seungcheol pulls out a neatly folded map of Korea from his wallet. There are little marks and annotations next to the printed down names, but one city is circled in golden ink and has a huge number one written next to it.

“Daegu?” Seungcheol’s hometown – the elder had told him endless stories of his childhood; leaving Jihoon intrigued, and a longing to visit the place to see it with his own eyes: the school Seungcheol went to, his family home, and that dumpling shop that Seungcheol had spoken about too often that Jihoon _needs_ to sample the food in Daegu.

Seungcheol clears his throat, forcing himself to meet Jihoon’s eyes. “I want you to meet my parents, Jihoonie. Now that I’m going to graduate, and that I already have my driver’s licence, it’s time for me to think ahead; and that includes getting a life partner.”

Jihoon’s little brain can’t wrap around Seungcheol’s words; and misinterprets the context, emphasising on the word _partner_ instead. “Are we going to open up a business?”

No way in hell that Choi Seungcheol would _like_ like him; and no way in hell that he’d just said something as stupid as that. The hints are as clear as day; the guy had even said it out loud!

Seungcheol laughs heartily. “For a gamer, you’re pretty slow.” He grabs Jihoon’s hands and holds them tightly. “We could, but I meant it in a non-business way…I-I really, really, really like you, Jihoonie, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He says it all in a rush, stumbling over his words. “Damn, that was cheesy.”

If it had been someone else, Jihoon would’ve rolled his eyes. But this is Seungcheol, whose words carry a lot of meaning; so he analyses each syllable the elder had said. Jihoon looks into the elder’s eyes, and sees nothing but sincerity and adoration.

Jihoon wants to smack Seungcheol, in the lips, with his own lips.

So that’s exactly what he does.

Seungcheol barely reacts, because Jihoon pulls away too quickly; suddenly shy with his impulsive action.

“Again.” Seungcheol commands in a husky tone, nuzzling his nose with Jihoon’s. He nudges Jihoon’s chin up, gazing at Jihoon’s little rosebud lips that he’d been dreaming of all these years…

The younger turns red, immediately burying his face into Seungcheol’s chest, and naturally, the older pulls him into a tender hug.

“We’ll take it step by step. No rush.” Seungcheol kisses Jihoon’s blond head gently. The younger snuggles deeper into Seungcheol’s broad chest, inhaling the scent that is uniquely him: a mixture of coffee and that musky cologne that he always uses.   

Starting with that road trip they’d each been dreaming about and meeting Seungcheol’s parents (which is not daunting at all for Jihoon, _no way_ ); they’ve got their whole lives ahead of them, together taking on each day.

(In the distance, a certain human hamster lookalike is screaming his head off, overjoyed that his two friends have gotten together – it was like watching a scene straight out of a drama; and now, to tell everyone he knows…)

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY JICHEOL DAY! 4 YEARS AND COUNTING. 
> 
> It started off differently, idk how it ended up like this...but domestic jicheol is domestic and we can never get enough of that. If you made it through this trash, thank you! Apparently it's easy to get a Korean driving licence; but disclaimer: I'm not sure how the system works there, haha.  
> Also, Soonyoung at the end is me XD
> 
> Feedback is love, and spread some love! 
> 
> twitter: sleepyscoops


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